Synchronized media, such as musical lyrics display systems, typically include a lyrics display apparatus operatively coupled to and controlled by a music playback apparatus. In these systems, the music playback apparatus knows a current time position in a currently playing music audio track. The music audio time position is provided to the lyrics display apparatus. The lyrics display apparatus uses the timing information to determine a corresponding lyric text position and displays the corresponding lyric text for the user to enjoy in synchrony with the music audio. Widely available Karaoke systems operate in this way.
Existing synchronized media (e.g., lyrics) systems typically have the lyrics display apparatus designed as an integral part of a system including the music playback apparatus often in a shared physical enclosure or controlled by a shared control mechanism, such as a computer program. A music listener who comes upon an arbitrary environmental or ambient source of music, e.g., in a café, restaurant, car, store, etc., would not have a way to enjoy synchronized media (e.g., lyrics) unless the music playback apparatus at the arbitrary environmental or ambient source was operatively coupled to an integrated lyrics display apparatus.